Clippers sweep Staples rivalry
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There’s not much to say about the L.A. Lakers at this point in the season, other than they will have a good position in the draft lottery. In their rematch with the Clippers, their Staples Center rivals, they put up their 57th loss of the season. The rivalry has pretty much gone the Clippers way these past two years. They have beaten the Lakers 11 of the last 12 times the two teams have met, sweeping the season series in the process, and on Sunday the score was about as lopsided as it’s ever been: 106-78 in favor of the Clippers.
They are in control of their playoff destiny right now, with a spot in the post-season and possibly home court advantage in the first round.
The game on Sunday was a blowout win for the Clippers, but today’s game was different. The Lakers came within a point of tying the game and possibly winning, but each time the Clippers were able to hold off the Lakers to stay in the lead and eventually win the game.
The Lakers actually led early in the game and they outscored the Clippers in the second half, but they were never able to take over the game and win.
The Clippers are on a roll going into the Playoffs. Each game the team gets better. DeAndre Jordan had 17 rebounds. Lakers head coach Byron Scott said, “He scares the hell out of guys and alters shots and he makes guys think about coming into the middle.”
Chris Paul had 19 points, going over 13,000 points in his career. Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick both scored 27 points and Jamal Crawford returned, scoring four points in 19 minutes.
Things weren’t all bad for the Lakers. They had four players score in double digits; Jordan Clarkson had 20, Tariq Black had 16, Wesley Johnson, 15 and Jeremy Lin finished with 14.
The Clippers need to win their last three games, including Saturday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, another Western Conference team looking for home court advantage.
But they still have to prove they can beat the Golden State Warriors in a seven-game series. In an article for the Grantland website, Draymond Greene of the Golden State Warriors said this about the Clippers, “They ain’t proved nothing. They ain’t earned nothing. What respect have you earned?”
If the two teams meet in the playoffs we will find out.
(All photos by Claudia Gestro)
Claudia is of Peruvian and Italian descent, having been born in a small town, in the North of Peru, South America. She was raised by her grandmother from an early age, living in poverty until Claudia’s mother brought her to America. She landed in Miami, FL and started her new life, playing high school basketball and eventually becoming a United States citizen. Claudia completed her education at Florida International University with a BA in Broadcast Journalism and became a model to supplement her income. Since graduating from FIU Claudia has worked with many of the Spanish Language broadcasting companies, including Telemundo, Univision and most recently Spanish Language channels on SiriusXM satellite radio and PasTV Deportes in Venezuela.She encourages you to follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Her content appears here under a shared content agreement with her Spanish television clients.